We Miss Lolita

Mother, we hope you're taking Lolita for her daily walks and not feeding her too much, per our instructions. Given her tendency towards weight gain, we're very concerned about her shape upon our return.

We miss Lo so much that we've started petting stray dogs.

Nightlife in Koh Samui

What started out as quiet waterfront dinner at the restaurant in this picture turned into a rave before our eyes. The chairs that we lounged on while consuming dinner were used later as dancing tables by European partiers and ladyboys.

Even the cops that were supposed to regulate the scene took part in the festivities and sipped (through straws) cocktails out of buckets.

Thai Cooking Class

Tonight we ate thai food that we prepared on our very own. We made three delicious dishes in a grueling, three hour cooking class. We have to brag that it's the best food we've eaten in Thailand so far.

The dishes we made included curry from scratch, red curry chicken, ginger steamed fish, and stir fried noodles with chicken.

We even got to wear aprons, a sight you will never see again.

Thai Ladyboys Are So Skinny

We are jealous. They should sell their diet secrets by writing a book - it would become a bestseller.

We Had a Blast Jet Skiing

Dogs of Thailand

We have observed two types of dogs in Thailand - pets and stray dogs.

Pets are typically small fluffy poodles. They are carried by their owners in a warm embrace and rarely walk on their own.

Stray dogs lead a carefree existence. They lounge around local shops, cool themselves off in the Indian Ocean, and roll around in the sand.

We're Pampering Ourselves in Koh Samui

The lis of available treatments seems endless: thai massages, foot reflexology, hot stone treatments, body wraps, facials, yoga, and diet programs, among others. Our spa guide to Koh Samui notes:

"Unfortunately, the words "Thai Massage" conjure up all sorts of connotations - not all without some basis in fact. Samui does have its share of parlours whose services rendered may sometimes go beyond therapeutic".

The services are very effordable and we're taking advantage of them every day!

Creepy White Men Abound in Thailand

Often balding and with protruding bellies, they wonder the streets hand in hand with the Thai ladies whom they pick up from seedy districts. You can also spot them in eateries or in the metro, nuzzling up to their tiny and much younger girlfriends. While we have seen many couplings of white men and Asian girls, we have yet to see the opposite (white girl, Asian man).

Thai Men - 1st Impressions

Meek and subdued, Thai men have exceeded our initial expectations. They have proven themselves extremely helpful and concerned. Young Thai men like to wear tight black pants that display their underwear, and cultivate meticulously groomed shaggy hair. While we tend to tower over both males and females in Thailand (especially when in heels), we have come to the conclusion that Asian men are under-appreciated in our Western world.

Macbook Disaster

We took a cab to our hotel in Bangkok, celebrating our departure from unpleasant Egypt. We hadn't pre-booked a hotel, but when we arrived at the hotel of our choice, they told us they were completely booked. Dejected, Kristina looked down to her luggage, only to realize that her laptop bag was missing and was still in the taxi.

We got a taxi receipt from the airport officials that included the cab driver's name and number (Thanks Thailand's board of tourism!), so we started our panicked investigation efforts. The cab driver would not answer his cell phone. While Kristina broke out in tears, her customary response to crisis situations, Jozefina engaged the non-English speaking bell boy. Around then, the hotel owner arrived in his Mercedes Benz, and offered his help. He enlisted the hotel security, got us a room, and soon we had the staff of 6 people helping us out.

A citywide announcement regarding the lost laptop was made via satellite radio, hotel security was furiously contacting authorities on their cell phones, and we were being escorted to the police station to file a report. On the way to the police station, our security escort turned around and announced that the laptop was on its way back to the hotel. Upon our arrival to the lobby, all the hotel staff seemed informed of our incident and was giving us the thumbs-up. Also, we were upgraded to the executive suite for our 'trouble.'

The Asia Hotel staff was incredibly helpful and caring, and we could not recommend the hotel more should you ever travel to Thailand.

We're (Finally) Leaving Egypt

Predictably, our flight from Cairo has been delayed, and we're stuck at the airport. One good thing is that they offer free wireless, which is why we've been so prolific with our blog posts today.

The airport is no safe haven from scams. Beware of men pretending to be airport officials and wearing official looking badges. They're likely scammers in disguise offering you overpriced cab services. They will pretend to offer their help with directions, etc, only to lead you to their cabs or ask for money.

Hopefully, our excitement about leaving will be reflected in more cheerful blog posts in the future.

We're Not in There!

We were very excited to book a sunrise hot air balloon ride from a persistent tour agent. Bright and early, at 5am, we woke up to be picked up for the adventure. An hour later, we were half asleep on the hotel lobby sofa and still waiting. Our guide never showed up, and we sadly watched through our hotel room window the many balloons go up together with the sun.

Male Version of Belly Dancers in Luxor

Belly Dancer in Luxor

Belly Dancing Classes Are Scarce in Egypt

Since belly dancing is widespread in Egypt, and many local stores sell appropriate attire, we thought our trip to Egypt would be the perfect place to take a belly dancing class. But we found no classes offered to the public. We tried our luck at a belly dancing store in Luxor, but Khalid, the young boy who worked there, could not think of anyone for us. An hour later, Khalid and his friend Ali caught up with us on the street and excitedly informed us that they'd found an instructor. If we would only spend the next couple of hours with them, they would take us to her later. We politely declined...

P.S. A tip to Egyptian tour agencies: belly dancing classes would be a very popular activity choice. You should start offering them!

Our Looks Are Not a Priority in Egypt

Looking good does not seem imporant to us in Egypt. Our make-up bags are stashed in the far corners of our luggage, and we have not used mascara in days. This even applies to night outings, which we do in our dusty flip-flops (gasp!), since even on a late night we are home by 10pm. The prep time for dinner for the two of us combined is under 60 seconds.

Dogs of Egypt

Seeing a dog in Egypt is not easy. Several days had passed by before we caught a glimpse of a tail of one dog entering an alley. Today, however, we saw four dogs at the temple of Karnak, sleeping undisturbed by tourists. While dogs of Egypt are left cold by the tourist crowds, men of Egypt are quite the opposite.

Visiting Banana Island in Luxor

We took a felucca boat ride to Banana Island yesterday, enjoying the sunset and a light breeze amidst Luxor's heat. The island has retained its pristine charm and is a beautiful oasis of calm in this tourist frenzied city.

We were joined by a cute Pakistani couple on their 2 year anniversary, who we exchanged hearty Egypt scam stories with.

Bonus: you'll get served free bananas from Banana Island along with hot tea, which is supposed to help cool you down.

Beware of Scams in Egypt

We understand that this is a long post, but it's a very emotional subject for us, so please read on.

Egypt's breathtaking monuments are a great reason to visit the country. However, the various scams that abound here can make the trip quite stressful and anxiety inducing. So do not visit this country unless you are prepared to be accosted every other second. Never, ever believe anyone on the street who seems friendly, especially if they say "I want to help," "Where are you from," or "Excuse me, excuse me." Some examples of scams we've gone through:
- Our first 15 minutes in Cairo. We are looking for a bookstore and a friendly male offers to show us the way. But he leads us through many winding streets only to end up at his perfume store where he proceeds to try to sell us some potions that we later discover are bad for your skin.
- We are looking for the Egypt Air travel office to book our flights for Luxor but are intercepted by a concerned and friendly male who informs us that the office is unfortunately closed. He then personally escorts us to a travel agency which attempts to charge us twice the normal ticket amount.

P.S. The scams may also help explain why so many tourists here are confined within the safety of their tour buses and hotels and are never to be seen on the streets alone.

Valley of the Kings

In Luxor we visited the Valley of the Kings, the site of 63 royal tombs. The tomb of Tutankhamun is its most famous site, discovered in 1922 filled with treasures.

It may be hard to imagine, but it's true, that the infernal heat outside in the desert feels refreshing after the humid, musky inside of the tombs.

If You're Visiting the Pyramids, Brace Yourself for Persistent Locals Selling Camel Rides

Women's Fashion in Egypt

Women's clothing store in Cairo

Colors that are in: bright lime green and yellow. Black burkas are sometimes accessorized with a colorful scarf. In effort to blend in, we searched for floor-length skirts to cover our limbs, but the available styles discouraged us enough that we just stuck with the clothes we had.

The Last Remaining of the Ancient Seven World Wonders

P.S. The sphinx is smaller than we expected.

Our Moroccan Bath Experience

In an effort to escape Cairo's chaotic streets, we booked for ourselves a Moroccan spa treatment. While it was great to get the city dust off our bodies, it was also an experience too intimate for our prudish western standards. Still, if you plan on visiting Cairo and are looking to relax, we recommend La Rose Spa.

Men of Egypt - 1st Impressions

Egyptian men like to congregate at cafes, where they smoke hooka and watch soccer in almost exclusively male company. While they are not our cup of tea, looks-wise, they can be helpful with directions as we try to navigate the busy streets of Cairo.

(In)Approriate Attire in Cairo

We made sure to wear our most conservative clothes for our first outing in Cairo. But, we were still the sluttiest women on the street, as evidenced by various cat-calls, hoots and other unintelligible comments made by men as we passed by. Also, interestingly, many men remarked that we "look like Egyptian."

We Love Greek Food

Red Light District in Athens

Tonight, we were looking for a fun dinner venue for our last night in Greece. We decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, and before long, we had turned one wrong corner too many. We suddenly found ourselves in a neighborhood littered with men of suspicious character.

The Greeks, generally expressive with approving noises as you pass by, seemed in this instance just too brazen. Suddenly, a car stopped to inform us politely "You are prostitute area. I can give you ride. Save you." It all made sense. We rushed past the graffiti and the sleazy men as fast as our heels would take into a safer neighborhood. Crisis averted!

Women's Fashion in Greece

Surprisingly, Greek women dress better than women in Italy. They favor bolder colors and are more adventurous in their clothing choices. However, we noticed a disturbing trend. An alarming number of young Greek females are embracing the MC Hammer-esque 1980s pants that have a sagging bulge and hug the ankles tightly. We hope this trend does not return to the U.S. too.

All Houses in Mykonos Are White

Arriving at the port of Mykonos, we were struck by the whiteness of the city. When we asked our hotel owner about it, he said that this was due to a decree from a queen in the 1940s ordering that all buildings on the island must be white. (Disclaimer: we did not verify the historical accuracy of this statement.)

Kristina Prefers Speedos After All

We were never fans of the speedo, but we had a new revelation at the beach today. If women have to bare it all in their tiny bikinis, then men should also be expected to display their goods. For the sake of gender equality.

Paradise Beach in Mykonos

Wonder where all the beautiful people are vacationing this summer? They're all in Mykonos. During the daytime, you can find them at Paradise Beach, tanning their perfectly gym-sculpted bodies. Other favorite activities include showing off their bodies while strolling down the beach, getting a drink at one of the cafes, and, of course, checking each other out.

Tips for Sightseeing in Athens

Sightseeing in Athens is exhausting. The experience is marked by scorching heat, the many stairs to be climbed, and hordes of tourists elbowing their way past you. Sightseeing is best left for colder months of the year. If you are there in the summer and must see the Acropolis, pick the opposite direction from the tour guides' routes. 

Dogs of Greece

Dogs of Greece lead a carefree existence. Rotund and lazy, you can spot them sleeping in a shade of ancient ruins. They are of questionable breed and have uncombed fur. 

P.S. No dog compares to our own Lolita!

Dogs of Italy - Belated Post

Introducing 'Dogs of ...", a new post category that will feature our dog observations for each of the five regions we are visiting.  

Like Italian men, Italian dogs are short, furry, and bark a lot. Being lap dogs, they are often on leashes or carried by their well-groomed owners. 

Middle-aged Men and Teens are Hitting On Us Left and Right

What does this mean?

They tend to be small local shop-owners and remind us of our Dad (Cao Tata!), or hormone-driven teens seemingly oblivious to the age difference.

Greek Men - 1st Impressions

Tall, dark, and handsome. This cliche phrase must have been invented by women lusting after Greek men. The phrase 'he looks like a Greek god' does them justice.

We Love Greece!

Our arrival at the airport in Athens felt a bit like homecoming. The bleak socialist housing that marks the city, the Greek folk music reminiscent of our own Bosnian folk songs... We love Greek food. We love Greek men. Ryan was right!

Hotel Trouble in Positano

We did not plan our stay in Positano in advance, and with the tourists flooding the small town, we found only one hotel with an available room. But once we inspected the dingy lodgings with a bad shower and poor view, Jozefina made a comment to the owner that ensured we would not get even that.

We were just bemoaning our bad fate on a street corner when an Italian man on a vespa swooshed in. It was Salvatore, the owner of the colorful linen shirt boutique next door, who took us into his air-conditioned store and made some quick phone calls on our behalf. He then grabbed our luggage and carried it down some steep stairs to a room with the most incredible view of the beach and the harbor below. And that is where we stayed in Positano.

Ferries along the Amalfi Coast

A convenient way to island hop. The smaller the ferry, the more fun the experience. Bonus: hot crew staff.

Addictions of Capri

We spent a couple of beautiful days in Capri, but saw an island plagued by addictions. Here are the top 4:
1. Tanning: shriveled brownish-orange skin is in vogue.
2. Plastic surgery: the best place to spot a victim is outside a cosmetics store while sipping vino bianco at the Palma Hotel.
3. Aviators: everyone is wearing them.
4. The color white: this applies to clothes, shoes, accesories. Men like to pair white with purple or pink garments.

Jetlag is ruining our nightlife

One of our big expectations for Italy had been to partake in the lively nightlife here. However, despite many many cappuccinos, we have not managed to stay up past 11pm. In Italy the clubs seem to get going around midnight. Tragically, we are also realizing that late 20ies call for different kinds of activities. While many of our peers are pushing child strollers down the corso, we are approached by 19-year-old expats and local scavenger boys asking us to join them for pub crawls.

Passport Disaster

In an effort to update you all on our whereabouts, we stopped by an internet cafe in Rome near the Vatican. In Italy you are required to present your passport to the merchant to use the internet, which Kristina did.

Later on, we stopped by another store and Kristina pulled out her passport, only to find in horror a chunky Australian woman's face staring at her from what was supposed to be her passport. As usually, she panicked and started crying while Jozefina - who's been in charge of the map and directions - had to backtrace and run all over town to locate the internet cafe in hopes of getting the passport back. An hour later, Jozefina was back where Kristina had agreed to wait for her. Uncombed and with feet dirty from Rome traffic, Jozefina built anticipation by saying nothing and only staring at her sister meaningfully. She finally pulled out her sister's passport from her purse, and made Kristina treat her to lunch.

What Women Wear in Italy

We had high hopes of revamping our own style in Italy after being inspired by the Italian women, who are known to be fashionable. However, few women we encounter seem to put that much effort into their appearance. We are surprised that jeans are not a popular choice for them; they tend to opt for black or white pants instead. The few women we enviously checked out ended up being foreign tourists.

Sorrento

After spending two days in Rome, we arrived today in the picturesque coastal town of Sorrento. While there are no real sandy beaches, we did get to suntan on the rocks by the sea and swim in the warm waters. Interestingly, and contrary to our expectations, few men here wear Speedos.

Men of Rome - 1st Impressions

Most men in the city are short and have slender upper bodies, which leads us to believe that gyms are not a popular venue here. However, they try to compensate with their charming natures and aggressive mating calls as you pass the streets.

LAX Delta Lounge

We have a long layover at LAX before heading off to Rome, so we decided to purchase a pass at the Delta airline lounge. It's $30 per person and gets you away from the crowds.

Positives: showers, nice sofas, TV, free alcohol, snacks

Negatives: snacks not good enough, lame travel and golf magazines, lounge not as nice as others

Kristina catches the bouquet

As soon as the wedding ceremony ended, Kristina started to badger the bride about the bouquet toss, which sadly did not happen for another two hours. Kristina spent this time in anxious anticipation and frequent follow-ups with the bride while sizing up the other single females - her competition. It was therefore no surprise that when the bouquet was finally tossed, Kristina - who'd taken off her heels in preparation - had elbowed away all the other females and ducked to catch the flowers by the floor despite no prior known athletic skills. Her sister was left in the background. Her bouquet victory of course signaled that she is next in line to get married. Our Senegalese cab driver had confirmed as much earlier in the day, proclaiming Jozefina unmarriable as long as she remains a world traveler. 

We lost $$$$ in Vegas

Last night, after one happy couple made their relationship official, the twin spinsters decided to try their luck at the slot machines. Ever so risk averse, we bet a $1 each at the 5 cent slot machines and lost EVERYTHING!!!

Samantha & Abe's Wedding

Yesterday afternoon we attended Samantha and Abe's wedding in Las Vegas. Abe smiled excitedly throughout the ceremony and Samantha looked beautiful. The happy ending gave us new hope relationships can work out.

Samantha's Bachelorette Party

Yesterday we celebrated our friend Samantha's last night as a single woman. We started the party at her suite at the Wynn and moved on to partaking in the Vegas nightlife. Surprisingly, the city was not as crowded as expected for a 4th of July weekend. Sam must have been anxious to calm her jitters for her champagne glass had to be refilled continuously. 

Pics to follow!!

Las Vegas Here We Come....

Before we take off for Europe, we are spending the weekend in Las Vegas, for our dear friend Samantha's wedding. While attending a wedding as two single females is no easy matter, the bachelorette party the night before will help us cope.

Lolita's Fitness

We're very excited about our upcoming trip but also concerned about leaving behind the adorable family dog Lolita (Lola, Lo, Lobster). She loves to overeat and does not shy away from items, such as cat food or trash. If you'd like to help further her fitness goals and avoid her gaining unsightly pounds, please volunteer to give her a walk every now and then. She will repay you by pulling on her leash and with undying love.

Packing

We're leaving in less than a week and I have yet to pack. My tendency to overpack with all the clothes I won't be wearing is further complicated by Jozefina's firm stance on us bringing just a CARRY ON!?!? 

It's hard to select the appropriate slutty outfits for one whole month!